Starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, the summer superhero tentole is directed by Shawn Levy. Reynolds — who has guided the franchise from the start — and Levy have been intent on making their July 26 release date in North America despite facing a lengthy production delay caused by last year’s SAG-AFTRA strike.
The record-shattering response to the trailer is good news for Kevin Feige‘s Marvel, which has seen its fame and fortune diminish in recent times. And Marvel, like its rivals, is also facing superhero fatigue among moviegoers. The previous record holder was Spider-Man: No Way Home, which launched to 355 million views in August 2021.
Marvel is counting on Deadpool & Wolverine to pull off a heroic feat and help reenergize the studio.
Deadpool 3 will be Marvel Studios‘ first R-rated movie, as well as its first to be led by a hero that previously appeared in movies made by 20th Century Fox. Disney and Marvel acquired the rights to characters such as the X-Men (and mutants including Deadpool) with its acquisition of Fox in 2019.
The first Deadpool, released in 2016, was a defining moment for the superhero genre with its irreverent and comedic tone (it also catapulted Reynolds to a new level in terms of his standing as actor, producer and even marketer). Both the 2016 film and the 2018 sequel were big hits for Fox and are the highest grossing films in the X-Men series. This time around, Reynolds is joined by Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen, as well as Jackman, who reprises the role of Wolverine after initially retiring from the character with 2017’s Logan.
Reynolds penned the script with Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells and Levy.
